Gathering “wild” food in the city: rethinking the role of foraging in urban ecosystem planning and management

Recent “green” planning initiatives envision food production, including urban agriculture and livestock production, as desirable elements of sustainable cities. We use an integrated urban political ecology and human–plant geographies framework to explore how foraging for “wild” foods in cities, a subversive practice that challenges prevailing views about the roles of humans in urban green spaces, has potential to also support sustainability goals. Drawing on research from Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, and Seattle, we show that foraging is a vibrant and ongoing practice among diverse urban residents in the USA. At the same time, as reflected in regulations, planning practices, and attitudes of conservation practitioners, it is conceptualised as out of place in urban landscapes and an activity to be discouraged. We discuss how paying attention to urban foraging spaces and practices can strengthen green space planning and summarise opportunities for and challenges associated with including foragers and their concerns.     

Biomechanics of Brain and Spinal-Cord Injury: Analysis of Neuropathologic and Neurophysiology Experiments

This study analyzes 46 brain and 48 spinal-cord impact experiments. The velocity of brain impact was 2.0-10.0 m/s and displacement, 0.75-5.0 mm (5.3-33% compression) using a controlled pneumatic impact. The velocity of spinal-cord impact was 1.5-6.0 m/s and displacement, 1.25-3.25 mm (25-65% compression). Brain injury varied from cortical contusion, diffuse axonal injury (DAI), to fatalities, and spinal-cord injury from temporary to complete loss of somatosensory-evoked potentials. Logist functions were determined for each injury severity and various biomechanical parameters, VC, C, V, and combinations. Brain and spinal-cord injury is most strongly correlated to VC, the viscous response. The goodness-of-fit was x² = 22.1, R-0.84 and p< 0.0000 for fatal brain injury, x² = 27.5, R = 0.96 and p< 0.0000 for cortical contusion, and x² = 17.7, R = 0.49 and p < 0.0001 for partial recovery of spinal-cord conduction. Neural tissue is viscoelastic, with a rate-dependent tolerance related to energy absorption. VC is a measure of energy absorption by impact deformation and is predictive of neural contusion, DAI, long-duration coma, spinal-cord dysfunction, and death. Tolerances for various severities of neural injury are presented. At the tissue level, VC is the product of strain and strain-rate, ε dε/dt. The research shows that strain is not a sufficient parameter of neural injury risk, and that the product of strain and strain-rate is a key biomechanical parameter for brain and spinal-cord injury.     

Motivations for Conserving Urban Biodiversity

Abstract: In a time of increasing urbanization, the fundamental value of conserving urban biodiversity remains controversial. How much of a fixed budget should be spent on conservation in urban versus nonurban landscapes? The answer should depend on the goals that drive our conservation actions, yet proponents of urban conservation often fail to specify the motivation for protecting urban biodiversity. This is an important shortcoming on several fronts, including a missed opportunity to make a stronger appeal to those who believe conservation biology should focus exclusively on more natural, wilder landscapes. We argue that urban areas do offer an important venue for conservation biology, but that we must become better at choosing and articulating our goals. We explored seven possible motivations for urban biodiversity conservation: preserving local biodiversity, creating stepping stones to nonurban habitat, understanding and facilitating responses to environmental change, conducting environmental education, providing ecosystem services, fulfilling ethical responsibilities, and improving human well‐being. To attain all these goals, challenges must be faced that are common to the urban environment, such as localized pollution, disruption of ecosystem structure, and limited availability of land. There are, however, also challenges specific only to particular goals, meaning that different goals will require different approaches and actions. This highlights the importance of specifying the motivations behind urban biodiversity conservation. If the goals are unknown, progress cannot be assessed.     

An Adaptive‐Management Framework for Optimal Control of Hiking Near Golden Eagle Nests in Denali National Park

Abstract: Unintended effects of recreational activities in protected areas are of growing concern. We used an adaptive‐management framework to develop guidelines for optimally managing hiking activities to maintain desired levels of territory occupancy and reproductive success of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in Denali National Park (Alaska, U.S.A.). The management decision was to restrict human access (hikers) to particular nesting territories to reduce disturbance. The management objective was to minimize restrictions on hikers while maintaining reproductive performance of eagles above some specified level. We based our decision analysis on predictive models of site occupancy of eagles developed using a combination of expert opinion and data collected from 93 eagle territories over 20 years. The best predictive model showed that restricting human access to eagle territories had little effect on occupancy dynamics. However, when considering important sources of uncertainty in the models, including environmental stochasticity, imperfect detection of hares on which eagles prey, and model uncertainty, restricting access of territories to hikers improved eagle reproduction substantially. An adaptive management framework such as ours may help reduce uncertainty of the effects of hiking activities on Golden Eagles.     

The Frequency of Micronuclei among Newborns from Kragujevac, Central Serbia, after NATO Bombing in the Spring of 1999

Kragujevac, as an important industrial and economic center of the region, is now placed on the top of the list of environmentally endangered cities in our country. The aim of this biomonitoring study was to evaluate cytogenetic damage in a sample of newborns from Kragujevac after contamination of the environment entailed by the intensive bombing of the industrial zone of this city in the spring of 1999. The frequency of micronuclei (MN) in peripheral blood lymphocytes in a total of 61 phenotypically healthy newborns was analyzed before and after the NATO bombing. Analysis of micronuclei has been performed using the cytokinesis-block technique (CB MN test). Average MN frequency in lymphocytes of newborns before the bombing (N = 25) was 5.77 ± 0.85/1000 analyzed cells. After the bombing (N = 36), the average frequency of MN increased by a factor of 1.4 (8.11 ± 0.85), compared to the control frequency before the bombing. Statistical difference (p < 0.05) was established by Student's t-test. Our data suggest that such changes in genetic material were a direct consequence of contamination of the living environment.     

Prenatal diagnosis of 5p deletion syndrome following abnormally low maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin

Prenatal diagnosis of 5p deletion syndrome, or cri du chat, following an abnormally low measurement of a screening of serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), is reported. Karyotyping following amniocentesis revealed a terminal deletion in the short arm of one chromosome 5. The pregnancy was electively terminated. 5p deletion syndrome has been described with abnormally high hCG levels and normal hCG levels. This is the first report of its association with abnormally low levels. The association between chromosomal abnormalities and hCG is discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于人地耦合系统的国土空间重塑

地理系统主要研究地球表层人与环境相互作用的机理,强调人地关系、自然和人文要素的综合,即人地耦合系统。地理系统在国土空间中的应用主要由地理决策、地理模拟、地理工程所组成,并且相互作用构成了地理治理。国土空间是自然与人类所共同实践的物质载体,人类被自然所塑造的程度并不亚于自身塑造自然的程度,以人地耦合系统为核心的地理系统理论成为国土空间规划与整治修复的理论基础。基于人地耦合系统的国土空间重塑最终以地理治理的形式反映在人类作用于自然环境的各种活动中。经过改革开放40年的发展,中国国土空间已基本形成了较为稳定的格局,形成了经济区、贫困区、小城镇为主的三种形态空间。中国的城镇化发展与发达国家有所不同,是城市化、城镇化、乡村化“三化耦合”并存的状态。必须重视泛第三极、环中国南海、东北亚—北极等以“一带一路”全球空间为基础的战略区域研究。基于人地耦合系统理论与国土空间价值均衡理论,国土空间重塑的基础科学问题是人地耦合系统演化机理与驱动机制。国土空间规划可以划分为三种类型：发展型规划、控制型规划和修复型规划。国土空间的保护与治理包括以土地利用为核心的国土空间全域整治,以生态文明为核心的国土空间系统修复,以社会和谐为核心的国土空间综合治理。人地耦合系统最终的发展目标是形成人类与自然相互作用的命运共同体。     

Second-trimester maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) iselevated in women with adverse pregnancy outcome associated with inherited thrombophilias

Obstetric complications, such as severe pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction, abruptio placentae, or stillbirth are associated with abnormally elevated second-trimester maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) and β subunit of human chorionic gonadotrophin (βhCG). This has been attributed to placental abnormalities. Women with thrombophilias have been shown to have abnormalities of the placenta resulting in adverse pregnancy outcome in these patients. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether women with pregnancy complications and inherited thrombophilias have abnormally elevated second-trimester MSAFP or βhCG. Sixty-two women with pregnancy complications were tested for inherited thrombophilias several months after delivery. The thrombophilia group included 29 women with pregnancy complications and an inherited thrombophilia and the control group included 33 other patients without thrombophilia. Patients in the thrombophilia group had a higher median MoM MSAFP compared to the controls (1.337 vs 1.086, p=0.0516). The incidence of abnormally elevated MSAFP (>2.5 MoM) was also significantly higher in the thrombophilia group compared to controls (21% vs 3%, p=0.04). Neither the median MoM βhCG nor the incidence of abnormally elevated βhCG were significantly different between the groups. We conclude that second trimester MSAFP, but not βhCG, is abnormally elevated in patients with thrombophilia and obstetric complications. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

美国州法中的内径流水权及其优先权日问题

美国水资源的所有权属于各州 ,是一种公有的资源。法律上的水权 ,是水的使用权 ,主要包括私人所有的先占权水权、岸边权水权。在美国西部各州的水权系统中 ,有一种水权现在可以在私法框架中协调环境保护目标、各种取水权人的取水需求 ,这两者之间的冲突。这就是现在美国学术界广泛关注的内径流水权。内径流水权可以在私法领域保护水流的天然禀赋 ,并且排除政府以环境法为理由介入水事争端。随着环境主义在美国的破产[1] ,美国西部开始了大规模的水权裁决活动 ,通过水法院或者行政机构确认私有水权的优先权日 ,从而确立水权的优先权序列。这样水权就会真正成为属于分散的个体的、排他性的财产权。优先权日在先的水权将在枯水季节排除他人的取水权或者其他种类的用水权。因此 ,确立内径流水权在这个优先权序列中的地位 ,是环境保护目标在私法体系中 ,而不是在效率低下的各种环境保护法中 ,长久地得到维护的关键。内径流水权优先权日有 (1)判例法认定的日期 ;(2 )法律规定的日期 ;(3)转化生成的日期。在先占原则框架中扩张这种财产权可以更大程度地排除环境法的适用范围。     

21世纪住区建设

面对世界发展趋势和中国建设高潮期,21世纪住宅建设需体现可持续发展,引入信息技术和新材料等高新技术,适应居住生活的发展。本文概述了当前世界发展趋势和国家住宅建设目标,住宅建设面临的科技问题,着重论述21世纪住区建设的规划设计原则。